Convertible tone arm



A. R. MALONE. CONVE RTIBLE TONE ARM. APPLICATION FILED IAN. 23, I922.

Patented Sept. 26, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

3 vwewto'a .Malune Aubr'e R A. R. MALONE.

CONVERTIBLE TONE ARM. APPLICATION man JAN-13.11922.

1,430,395; I PatentedSept.26,1922.

2 s HEEissHEET 2.

w an uento'c v A h gu E'.'Ma1cme a a! a I AUBREY MALONE, 01 FRANKLIN, KENTUCKY.

CONVERTIBLE TONE ARM.

Application filed January 23, 1922. Serial No. 531,234.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, AUBREY R. MALONE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Franklin, in the county of Simpson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Convertible Tone Arms, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to phonographs, and particularly to the tone arms thereof.

The object of the invention is the production of a convertible tone arm which may be used in playing in order to be used with and reproduce three different forms of phonographic records. 1 i

A further object is to provide a device of this character in which the tone arm is formed with three parts adjustable with respect to each other so that thetone arm may be turned into three diiierent positions to thereby provide for the reproduction of Victor, Edison or Path records, as may be desired, the stylus lever or holder being so designed as to provide for adjustment of the stylus to correspond with the record which is to be played.

A still further object is to provide a construction of this character wherein provision is made for the lengthening or shortening of the tone arm necessary where the tone arm is adjusted for playing different styles of records.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved tone arm and sound box as applied to a Victor record;

Figure 2 is a similar view of the device as applied to a Path record;

Figure 3 is a similar view as applied to an Edison record;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the tone arm and sound box, the full lines indicating-the position of the sound box as applied to a Victor record and the dotted lines as applied to an Edison record and a Path record;

Figure 5 is a detailed plan view of the tone arm;

Figure 5 nector 18;

Figure 6 is a detailed end elevation of the sound box;

Referring to these is a top plan view of the condrawings, and particularly to Figures 1 and a, it will be seen that the tone arm proper, which is designated 10, is, as usual, approximately circular in cross section and tapered from its pivotal end to its free end. At its free end this tone arm is extended laterally, as at 11, to form a socket, this lateral extension having the oppositely disposed screws '12. Adapted to be disposed within this open ing or socket 11 at the free end of the tone arm is a gooseneck 13. -The socket 11 has its axis disposed at right angles to the body of the tone arm and the goosenec k 13 is turned so that its two branches 14: and 15 are disposed at an angle'less than a right angle, as for instance an angle of approximately 60. The arm 14; of the gooseneck 13 is fo-rmed'at oppositely disposed points with the circumferentially extending slots 16 with which the screws 12 are adapted to engage these slots, permitting the gooseneck to oscillate within the free end of the tone arm, and the arm 15 of the gooseneck is provided at a distance from its forward end with an invgardly extending screw 17 constituting a stu Coacting with the arm 15 of the gooseneck is a tubular connector 18 adapted to slip in side of the arm 15 and fit snugly therein but capable of rotation with relation thereto, this connector 18 at its forward end being angularly bent at an obtuse angle to the longitudinal axis of the'connector, as at 19. This angularly bent portion 19 is circu1ni erentially slotted, as at'QO, and the body of the'connector 18 adjacent its upper end is formed with an angularly disposed, V- shaped slot 21 within which the screw 17 engages. (Joacting with the angularly bent end portion 19 of the connector 18 is the sound box 22 which may be or any desired construction and has the usual socket 23 adapted to fit upon the end 19 of the con nector and be engaged therewith by means of a screw 24. Pivotally mounted upon a lug 25 extending from the sound box and operatively connected at its inner end to the diaphragm is the stylus bar or lever 26, the outer extremity of which is socketed for the reception of the stylus. This stylus arm at its outer end is formed with a longitudinal socket 27 adapted to be used under certain circumstances and a socket 28 extending transversely to the socket 27 at right an des thereto for the reception of the stylus under certain other circumstances.

an Edison record is to be played.

The goosenecl: 13 always projects laterally from thetone arm 10 and oscillates within the tone arm, but the connector 18 is so designed that it may be shifted longitudinally within the arm 15 of the gooseneck or oscillatably adjusted within this arm. Thus when playing a Victor record, the connector 18 is turned so that the opening at the end 19 is in a vertical plane. The sound box under these circumstances is in a vertical plane, as illustrated in Figure 1, and obviously the rotation of the connector 18 to carry the sound box into vertical plane causes the pin 17 to ride up in the slot 18 and as a consequence lengthens the distance between the upper end of the arm 15 of the gooseneck and the lower end of the connector 18. The stylus 28 is, of course, disposed within the socket 27 under tiese circumstances and held in place by the usual set screw. With the parts in the position described, the device is adapted for playing all lateral cut records. F or playing certain other records, as for instance a Path record, it is necessary that the sound box shall be disposed at an inclination to a vertical plane and in a plane at right angles to the axis of the tone arm, as illustrated in Figure 2. Under these circumstances, the con nector 18 is turned so that the end 19 extends upward and backward. Then by rotating the sound box 22 approximately 415 upon end 19, the sound box will be disposed in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the tone arm and at an inclination to the vertical with the stylus upon the front or" the sound box.

The third position of the parts illustrated in Figure 3 and is to be used where in playing an Edison record, the sound box is dis posed ina horizontal plane parallel to the upper face oi the record. The connector. therefore, is turned to an angle oi about 190 from the position shown in l igure 2 to the position shown in Figure 3, and the stylus is inserted through the transverse opening 28. Of course, in the first position the stylus operates on a laterally cut rcc- 0rd, in the second and third positions the stylus acts upon a hill and dale or vertically cut record, and it is obvious that when playing laterally cut records it is necessary that the distance between the end of the connector 18 and the upper end of the arm 15 of the gooseneclr 13 shall be lengthened. This is provided for by the V-shaped slot 21. This is necessary in order to recover the distance lost by turning the sound box from the first position into either the second or third position. Of course, it is obvious that this device may be used with any desired form of stylus, as for instance the ball pointed stylus which is used for recordslike the Path record, and the steel needle for such records as the Victor rec- 0rd. Of course, when using the ball pointed stylus the reproducer is turned at right angles to the record. The slot 20 permits the movement of the sound box relative to the connector 18 so as to bring the stylus in proper position for playing the records. 'lhus when the parts are in the position shown in Figure 1, the screw 2 1 is against the end a of the slot (see Figure 5). When the parts are in the position shown in Figure 2, the screw 24 bears against the end I) of the slot 20. l vhen the parts are in the position shown in Figure 3, the screw 24: bears against the end a of: the slot 20. Thus the sound box has alimited oscillative adjustment with relation to the connector 18 and the connector has a limited oscillative adjustment and a limited longitudinal adjustment relative to the sleeve 18 in which the connector operates.

While l have illustrated the angles in the tone arm as being 60 and 120 respectively and while these angles are the angles which have been found best fitted for the work, I do not wish to be limited to this, as it is obvious that these angles might be approximated and the same result be secured.

l claim2- 1. A tone arm for sound reproducing machines comprising a body portion having a lateral, approximately right angular bend, a laterally disposed gooseneck oscillatably mounted in the free end of the tone arm body, a tubular connector having one end inserted in the gooseneclr and mounted for limited oscillation therein through an angle of approximately 180, the forward end of said connector being angularly bent to an angle of ap aroximately 30 with relation to the axis of the connector, and a sound box mounted upon the end of the connector and having a stylus arm, the stylus arm having a longitudinally extending stylus socket and a transversely extending stylus socket.

2. A. tone arm for sound reproducing niachines comprising a body portion laterall bent at its forward end at right an les to the axis of the body portion, a gooseneck having one end inserted within the angularly bent end of the tone arm and having limited oscillation therein, the gooseneck being bent to provide two arms disposed at an angle of approximately 60 with relation to each other, a connector insertible into the gooseneck and oscillatable therein around the axis of one arm of the gooseneck, the connector at its forward end being angularly bent at an angle of approximately 30 to the axis of the connector, the upper end of the connector being formed with a V-shaped slot extending circumferentially around the connector, a screw passing through one arm of the gooseneck and engaging in said slot, a sound box engaging with the forward end of the connector, and a stylus arm carried thereby and having means for supporting a stylus longitudinally with relation to the stylus arm or at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the stylus arm.

3. In a sound reproducing machine, a tone arm, a tubular means for supporting a sound box upon the tone arm, said tubular means 10 being shiftable to permit the sound box to be disposed in a vertical position with its face parallel to the axis of the tone arm, in a horizontal position, or in a downwardly and forwardly inclined position, the sound box having limited oscillation around the axis of the tubular means.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

AUBREY R. MALONE. 

